ROYAL Caribbean’s popular Rhapsody of the Seas departed Australian shores for the last time on Fri, with the vessel’s first down under deployment eight years ago helping launch the Australasian cruise boom. There was a tear in many an eye when the ship left Sydney Harbour, with the annual deployment...
ROYAL Caribbean’s popular Rhapsody
of the Seas departed Australian shores
for the last time on Fri, with the
vessel’s first down under deployment
eight years ago helping launch the
Australasian cruise boom.
There was a tear in many an eye
when the ship left Sydney Harbour,
with the annual deployment generating
such a huge following that when
news broke that she would be leaving
Australia a petition was started to keep
her here.
Royal Caribbean commercial director
Sean Treacy said some locals had sailed
aboard Rhapsody every season since she first arrived in Oct 2007.
“She was our first ship to be based in the region…she has brought
more than 272,000 guests to Sydney over 136 visits, many of whom
were international tourists,” he said.
Next year Rhapsody’s “big sister” Explorer of the Seas will take her
place, more than doubling the number of guests on every sailing.
Passengers embarking and disembarking last Fri were each given
a souvenir edition of the Daily
Telegraph with a cover wrap
(pictured) which is sure to go
straight to the pool room.
